e n e r g y &
r e s o u r c e
e f f i c i e n c y
NATIONAL AWARD WINNER
IMAGE Homes is a recipient of the National Association of Home Builders'
ENERGY VALUE HOUSING AWARD
CATEGORY: INNOVATIVE / ADVANCED IN A COLD CLIMATE
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) has twice presented IMAGE Homes with the Energy Value Housing Award, the best out of 23 entrants in the nation. The 5,000 square foot demonstration home IMAGE Homes built to showcase energy and resource efficiency had a heating cost of $300 - annually. School groups, tours and seminars were hosted at the home. The home was featured in Xcel Energy's UPDATE, a newsletter sent with the company's utility bills, saying the home represented 'green homebuilding at its best'.
IMAGE Homes has also received the highest award from the international Energy Efficient Builders Association (EEBA) and the Governor's Office of Energy Conservation in Colorado for the most energy efficient home built in the state.
We take an integrated and balanced approach to energy efficient and green design, technology, and construction, including analysis of environmental benefits vs. price, performance and practicality. Energy efficiency has been a hallmark of our company since its inception, and remains so. Energy efficiency cannot be achieved without quality control - the fact that our homes are energy efficient also means they are well built.
IMAGE Homes is one of an exclusive number of builders in the state voluntarily building to Energy Star and Germany's Passivhaus standards. This means that all of our homes are built to much higher level than required by code. We were charter members of the Denver HBA's Built Green program and have building green since 1985. We were 'green' before green was cool.
IMAGE Homes has also received the highest award from the international Energy Efficient Builders Association (EEBA) and the Governor's Office of Energy Conservation in Colorado for the most energy efficient home built in the state.
We take an integrated and balanced approach to energy efficient and green design, technology, and construction, including analysis of environmental benefits vs. price, performance and practicality. Energy efficiency has been a hallmark of our company since its inception, and remains so. Energy efficiency cannot be achieved without quality control - the fact that our homes are energy efficient also means they are well built.
IMAGE Homes is one of an exclusive number of builders in the state voluntarily building to Energy Star and Germany's Passivhaus standards. This means that all of our homes are built to much higher level than required by code. We were charter members of the Denver HBA's Built Green program and have building green since 1985. We were 'green' before green was cool.
S I T E D E S I G N :
Our design team begins with a thorough review of the building site, emphasizing proper siting of the home or structure based on access, topography, trees, rock outcroppings, view corridors, solar gain, and preservation of natural surroundings.
D E S I G N D E T A I L S :
Proper solar orientation, generous eaves for solar shading, natural day lighting, maximum cross ventilation and preservation of natural buffers (berms, trees) combine to help achieve comfort and savings. Incorporation of appropriate direct and indirect gain help balance heating in the winter and cooling in the summer.
I N TE R I O R I N S U L A T I O N :
Blown cellulose insulation, sealing and caulking of all exterior perforations, window glass with various energy efficient properties depending on their location in the house, and energy heel trusses minimize heat loss.
Note: Blown cellulose is made of waste paper and cardboard, and has a Class A fire rating. Its fire retardant, borate, is natural - and safe - insect repellent, used by organic gardeners to deter garden pests. Using blown cellulose insulation in one home keeps approximately 3 tons of newspapers out of landfills. It was first developed as a sound barrier (great for keeping noise levels low between floors and walls) until it was discovered how well it worked as an insulating material.
S E A L I N G:
The diagram to the left shows the areas that allow air infiltration. By caulking and sealing these leakage points we can minimize the infiltration of cold air in the winter and hot air in the summer. This means huge savings for heating and cooling, not to mention your comfort.
"R-Value is not the most important factor to consider. Sealing points of air infiltration is. If the Thermos bottle's lid is cracked, the coffee's cold" - Randy Nelson, President
N O F U R N A C E :
Our most energy efficient option utilizes a flash boiler for continuous domestic hot water (no more running out of hot water!), integrated with a heat recovery ventilator to provide comfortable, reliable heating and fresh air at surprisingly low cost of operation.
